Fang Zhengzhi looked at the wide road that led from the gates of Huai An County into the distance. It would be a lie to say that he was not moved.
After all, he was the one who paid for the construction of this road.
"Let's go."
"Roger!"
...
The changes in the Northern Mountain Village over the past year were obvious. Even though Fang Zhengzhi was wanted by the entire country, this did not affect the development of the Northern Mountain Village.
This was because the Northern Mountain Village had roads and an academy with 50 of the best teachers in the Northern Lands.
As a result, not only the surrounding villages, but even the families of the Northern Lands Five Constabularies would send their disciples to the Northern Mountain Village to learn. With this factor, the Northern Mountain Village had long been freed from the predicament of relying solely on hunting.
In terms of geography...
The Northern Mountain Village had expanded more than twice its original size.
Furthermore, every house had been renovated. The small courtyards had been expanded into large courtyards. The one-story stone houses had been expanded into two stories.
However, one thing had not changed.
That was farming.
This was part of their nature. As the Northern Mountain Village villagers, even though they were well off, they still had a simple and honest nature.
As such, there were still large areas of land around the Northern Mountain Village that were planted with all sorts of vegetables and fruits. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
Planting in spring, harvesting in autumn.
That was the law of the land.
Since dawn, groups of Northern Mountain Village villagers had come down to the fields and were busy working under the morning sun.
They worked at dawn and rested at dusk.
Now, the sun had already set in the west, and a trace of sunset hung on the horizon, dyeing this beautiful land with a layer of golden-red brilliance.
The villagers looked at the sky and began to pack up, preparing to go home for dinner.
At that moment...
A group of figures appeared on the road at the entrance of the village. It was a group of figures wearing black bamboo hats. Their faces could not be seen clearly because the black veil under the bamboo hats covered their faces.
There weren't many of them, only a dozen or so.
However, it could be seen that these people were not ordinary because the quality of their clothes was very good. Of course, the most important thing was that they were all holding weapons in their hands.
Swords, knives, spears.
All of their weapons gleamed coldly. Even those who did not know much about weapons could tell that they were not ordinary weapons.
Therefore, the identity of this team was naturally extraordinary.
The villagers stopped what they were doing. In this year, there had been many important people coming and going in the Northern Mountain Village. There were the prestigious families of the Huai An County, and even further away, the prestigious families of the River of Trust Province.
They had seen a lot.
However, they still stopped because it wasn't the first day of school. Most importantly, they could tell that the Academy wasn't open yet.
The identity of this group of people was obviously different from the aristocratic families.
Because …
This group of people were all on foot.
Not a single one of them was riding a horse. Furthermore, they were traveling light. There were no carriages loaded with luggage, nor were there too many bags. Everyone was clean and tidy, without the dust of a long journey. In this way, it was naturally impossible for them to be from a prestigious family that was delivering gifts to the disciples of the aristocratic families.
The villagers stood in the fields and watched.
They wanted to figure out something from this group of people, but it was still difficult for them to figure out anything from their attire.
But soon enough, their eyes widened.
It was a kind of shock.
A shock that exploded from the depths of their hearts.
That was because they saw a figure in this group of people. A figure that was completely different from those who were wearing black bamboo hats. That was a youth in a blue long robe.
He was slightly skinny and had a pale face. He even had a smile on his face.
"Uncle Li, Auntie Zhang, hello!" The young man seemed to have noticed the villagers who had stopped in the field. He waved at them as he walked.
"Ah …" The man and woman stared blankly at the youth who greeted them. Their mouths were agape, but they could only make one sound.
The young man smiled and did not seem to be affected by the expressions of the two villagers. Instead, he continued to greet the other villagers on the other side of the table.
"Uncle Wang is still so young. Auntie Liu's skin is getting better and better. Brother Zhao, are you married yet? Haha, come to my house for dinner when you are free … "
As the youth spoke, he continued to walk into the village. Every time he passed by a villager, he would greet them warmly.
However …
All the villagers stared at the young man with their mouths agape. No one greeted the young man because they all had a feeling that they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Husband, I … I think I saw a ghost!"
"Me too …"
"You saw it too?"
"Yes … yes …"
"Don't tell me you saw Zhengzhi?!"
"Yes, I … I saw Zhengzhi. Furthermore, he was greeting me, just like before. However, he seemed to have grown taller!"
"Ghost!"
To the villagers of the Northern Mountain Village, being law-abiding was their way of thinking. But who was Fang Zhengzhi? He was a wanted criminal in the entire empire.
So …
Seeing Fang Zhengzhi walking towards them in broad daylight and even greeting them happily, what else could it be other than seeing a ghost?
Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of explaining himself.
He simply breathed in the mountain air and looked at the setting sun. He loved the tranquility of the mountains. It was so tranquil that he did not have to think about anything.
The river at the entrance of the village was still as clear as ever. The sound of flowing water rang in his ears. Small fishes swam in the river, occasionally splashing white waves.
Fang Zhengzhi did not walk too quickly.
However, he still reached the entrance of the village very quickly. He looked at the newly erected stone tablet at the entrance of the village. The words "Northern Mountain Village" were carved on the stone tablet.
It could be seen that the person who wrote these three words was quite skilled.
It was probably because he was in a favorable position.
The school was built in the village. As such, the cultural atmosphere was much more intense. Bold and powerful paintings could be seen everywhere at the entrance of the village.
Furthermore, there were many sculptures of different expressions. There were stone carvings, root carvings etc. Fang Zhengzhi guessed that these should be the work of the teachers in the school.
Otherwise, with Village Chief Zhang Yangping's cultural heritage, these things would still be rooted in the mountains, enduring the blow of the mountain winds and the scorching sun.
Entering the village.
It was very lively.
Along the way, the villagers all had smiles on their faces as they chatted with each other. Every house had a few carvings on their doors.
But very quickly, the liveliness slowly calmed down.
They all saw Fang Zhengzhi strolling towards them from the entrance of the village. They also heard Fang Zhengzhi's greetings along the way.
Then, they were all stunned.
Even though Fang Zhengzhi had left the Northern Mountain Village for more than a year, they still remembered the pride of the Northern Mountain Village, the person who led the Northern Mountain Village to prosperity.
How could they not remember him?
Even if Fang Zhengzhi had left for five or ten years, they would still be able to recognize him, much less a year ago.
In fact...
Every single villager had wondered if Fang Zhengzhi would return to the Northern Mountain Village one day.
However, that was just a thought.
After all, Fang Zhengzhi's crimes were too grave. He had taken advantage of the Princess of the Southern Region, killed the Crown Prince of the Southern Region, and injured the Crown Prince.
Pardon?
How could he possibly be pardoned for such a heinous crime?
Of course, they did think that Fang Zhengzhi might return to the village, but he should sneak back under the cover of night.
All of the villagers looked up at the sky.
Even though it was already dusk, the sky was still bright. The golden-red light shone down on the smiling face.
"Zhengzhi... Zhengzhi?!"
Finally, a voice rang out.
Then, countless pairs of eyes looked at each other. They were filled with excitement, shock, fear, and worry.
As villagers who had grown up in the Northern Mountain Village, they knew that there were more than just the villagers of the Northern Mountain Village.
And...
"Zhengzhi, why are you back! Let's go! "
"Where's my mother?"
"Ah?!"
"At home, right? Uncle Chen, if you have time tonight, come to my house for dinner! "Fang Zhengzhi waved at Uncle Chen calmly.
"Dinner... dinner? Zhengzhi is asking me to go to his house... for dinner? " Uncle Chen stared blankly at the back of Fang Zhengzhi's back, as well as the figures wearing black bamboo hats around him. He could not react at all.
…
In the courtyard of the Fang Family.
Qin Xuelian, who was dressed in cotton clothes, was watering the vegetables in the courtyard. Her long black hair had already turned pale, and a few wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.
Although she still had the otherworldly beauty of a snow lotus, compared to a year ago, Qin Xuelian's face had obviously aged a lot.
A small platform was built on the second floor of the stone house. There were even green fruits planted on the platform, forming a sturdy shed.
Fang Houde was sitting in the shed, tending to the soil for the fruits.
In front of him, there was a simple tea set. Steam wafted from the teacups, and a light fragrance filled the air.
"Father of the child, if you are tired, sit down and rest." Qin Xuelian looked up and saw the sweat on Fang Houde's forehead. She subconsciously called out to him.
However, as soon as she said this, her face darkened.
In fact, in the past year, she rarely called Fang Houde 'father of the child'. Most of the time, she called him Houde.
Or Old Fang.
However, this was a habit that had been around for decades. How could she change it so easily?
"Child... Xuelian, you should rest too. Leave dinner to me." Fang Houde swallowed back the words' father of the child '.
His face was also gloomy.
However, he quickly recovered and squeezed out a smile. He washed the soil in his hands and picked up the teacup in front of him.
Warm air wafted into his eyes.
He didn't know if it was because of the heat or the moist spring air, but a raindrop fell into the teacup at this moment, creating a circle of ripples.
"Let me do it." Qin Xuelian shook her head silently. Her body was trembling, and tears welled up in her eyes. She had cried too many times in the past year.
Spring, summer, autumn, winter.
Season after season passed. She sat in the courtyard, looking at the silhouettes that passed by. She just sat there, imagining countless times that the silhouette in her dreams would appear.
However, there was none!
She was not disappointed. That was the best outcome!
Finally, droplets of "water droplets" fell into the basin she was watering. Circles of ripples spread out. That kind of helplessness made her hands almost unable to hold onto the basin.
"Son, mother... I miss you!"
Qin Xuelian was shouting in her heart. She kept shouting, but she couldn't say it out loud. She could only shout it in her heart over and over again.
The basin trembled.
Inside, a snow-white and wrinkled face was reflected.
Just at this moment, another silhouette appeared in the water. It was a silhouette standing at the entrance of the courtyard. A light breeze blew past, and his blue robe fluttered lightly.
"Zheng 'er, it's Zheng' er!"
Qin Xuelian subconsciously shouted. However, she quickly shook her head. She had lost count of how many times she had seen this silhouette.
However, she knew that this silhouette should not be here.
It should not be here!
"Zheng 'er, my Zheng' er..." Qin Xuelian looked at the silhouette in the water quietly. She knew that this silhouette would eventually disappear.
She wanted time to stop, for her to look at it for a while longer.
It was an extravagant thought.
However, this was the only thought that could keep her going. She wanted to wait in the Northern Mountain Village for a silhouette that would never return.
"Mother!" Just at this moment, a voice rang out from the entrance of the courtyard and into Qin Xuelian's ears. It was so clear, so familiar.
Qin Xuelian's body shook violently.
She looked at the basin in her hands again. The silhouette was still in the basin. It did not disappear. It was as if it was real.
"Zheng 'er, my Zheng' er is back!"
Qin Xuelian wanted to turn back to look at the entrance of the courtyard. However, she knew that if she turned back, she would never see the silhouette in the basin again.
She hesitated, conflicted.
But she still turned back because it was a kind of subconscious, a kind of subconscious that arose from the bottom of her heart. She wanted to see, to see the figure at the courtyard gate.
Time seemed to stop at this moment.
Qin Xuelian's body stiffened as she stood rooted to the ground. She stared at the entrance of the small courtyard where a familiar figure was smiling happily at her.
"Mother!" The familiar voice rang out again.
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